A permanent exhibit entitled “The O’Neill House and its site: three centuries of history” takes up part of the ground floor of the house. Under a cultural development agreement with the city of Québec and thanks to a grant from the province’s Ministère de la culture et communications, a very talented team of professionals successfully produced this exhibit with flavours of both heritage and history.
Through details of a family and a site, the exhibit exposes the full history of rural Québec just beyond the city proper.
The exhibit covers six themes:
- the various territorial divisions of the site since the era of French rule to present day;
- the original concession of the site to the Dion family, who occupied it for several generations;
- the immigration of the Irish in the 19th century, at which time the O’Neill family’s ancestors arrived in Québec;
- the history and genealogy of the branch of the O’Neill family who inhabited the site from 1863 until its sale to the city of Québec in 1991;
- the family’s use of the site over the years for agriculture, raising horses and leisure;
- the architecture of the house.
Richly illustrated by period photographs and supported by numerous objects recovered during archeological digs conducted as part of house restoration, the exhibit is available for viewing when the “House” is open.